A Million Little Themes
by kcjohnston
Summary: A collection of one-shots for a 100 Themes challenge.


**A/N: Getting back into the swing of things now that I finally have a dedicated writing area. After recently playing LiS and BtS, I decided to warm up my muscles with a 100 Themes challenge. Pairings and POV might change depending on the chapter, but I have to think it'll mostly be Pricefield.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own these wonderful characters, but if I did... Oh, the possibilities.**

Chloe's rusty old truck rumbled along the 101, heading out of Oregon and towards San Diego. She had decided against Los Angeles, feeling that it wouldn't be the same going there without Rachel, and avoided San Francisco because it just felt fucking weird with everything that happened with that bastard Mark Jefferson. Every couple of minutes, she stole a glance to her right, to Max. She'd been staring out of the passenger window pretty much the entire trip, and it broke Chloe's heart in more ways than one.

 _"This is my storm," Max said. "I caused this... I caused all of this. I changed fate and destiny so much that... I actually did alter the course of everything. And all I really created was just death and destruction!"_

 _Chloe whirled around, facing her friend, the rain pelting her skin. "Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it... and you saved me. Which had to happen, all of this did... except what happened to Rachel. But without your power, we wouldn't have found her! Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield... and you're amazing. Max, this is the only way." Chloe pulled out the photograph of the blue butterfly, the one taken in the girls' bathroom at Blackwell that had set all of these batshit events in motion, and handed it to her best friend._

 _"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago," she mused, her voice startlingly quiet._

 _"You... You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture... All that would take is for me to... to..." Her words were choked off by a string of sobs. The saltiness of her tears mixed with the rain perfectly mimicked the water in the bay below, part saltwater and part fresh water._

Chloe reached over and took Max's hand in hers, resting them on the seat between them. Max didn't resist, but she didn't actively contribute, either. "I have some regrets, too, Max."

That earned her her friend's full attention, their blue eyes momentarily locked together until Chloe had to turn hers back to the road ahead. "I don't have any regrets, Chloe. I'm sad that it came down to this, but I'd make the same choice a million times over. You have to know that."

Chloe hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her driving hand, using her left knee to keep the truck in their lane. "Thanks, Max. It's just... You've been really quiet this whole time."

"Sorry," she smiled. "I guess I'm a bit wiped out. This week's been a hell of an adventure."

 _"Fuck that! No... no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me." Max's words made Chloe's heart race a little bit faster, but she pushed on._

 _"I know. You proved that over and over again... even though I don't deserve it. I'm so selfish... not like my mom... Look what she had to give up and live through... and she did. She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner. Even my step... father deserves her alive." Even in the midst of the most serious conversation of her life, Chloe still mentally noticed that she'd referred to David as her stepfather in an incredibly rare moment. Max's tale of David saving her from Jefferson in one of the alternate timelines had actually managed to soften her impression of her mother's militaristic beau. "There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live... way more than me..."_

 _"Don't say that. I won't trade you." Max's steely determination once again did a number on Chloe's pulse, and she wished she could've taken a moment to savor the feeling._

 _"You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny... Look at how many times I've almost died or actually died around you. Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate... our fate..."_

"Talk about understatement of the century," Chloe said, still unable to shake the memories of their cliffside dilemma.

"You know me, I'm all about subtlety." Max awkwardly chuckled, and it didn't go unnoticed by Chloe, but at least her friend was trying to stay in the present with her, and it meant the world to her.

"Excited for San Diego?"

"I think so. It's so weird, but my first memory of San Diego was when I was eight and we were having one of our sleepovers. We were supposed to be going to bed, but you turned on _The Real World: San Diego_. We definitely shouldn't have been watching reality TV at that age."

"Oh my god, I remember that!" Chloe exclaimed. "Your parents busted you trying to watch it the next week and you got grounded for like a million years!"

"Well, two weeks, but yeah. Scarred me pretty bad. I still don't watch reality shows anymore."

"Oh, Max, that's wild. I haven't thought about that in forever. Hopefully our stay in San Diego goes smoother than it did for the cast."

"Shh, spoilers!" Max stage-whispered, causing Chloe to cackle hysterically. Like Max was ever going to get around to watching such an old season of such a trashy show in a genre that she doesn't even watch. That moment was another stark reminder of why Max was once the greatest thing in her life, and why they were returning to form now.

 _"Chloe..."_

 _"Max, you finally came back to me this week, and... you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years. Wherever I end up after this... in whatever reality... all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours. No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."_

 _Max looked at Chloe with nothing but pain in her eyes, and it felt like someone had ran a knife through her stomach._

 _"Chloe... I can't make this choice..."_

 _"No, Max... You're the only one who can." Even as the words left her lips, she was torn. She didn't_ want _to die, but more than that, she didn't want this fate for the shitty town she grew up in, and the mostly shitty people that lived here. She didn't want this for Joyce and David, Justin, Rachel's parents, even Frank... But most of all, she didn't want a reality where Max had to endure everything that she had over the past week, all because of her. "Max... it's time..."_

 _"Not anymore," Max said, though it sounded like she was speaking more to the tornado than to Chloe. She gave one final glance at the picture in her hand before ripping it in half, watching the pieces be swept away by the wind._

 _"Max... I'll always be with you... Forever..." Chloe closed the gap between them and stood next to Max, gazing out at the storm. Their hands intertwined like their bodies were on autopilot as they watched the tornado creep closer to destroying the only place that had ever felt like home for either of them. A moment passed before Max turned and buried her face in Chloe's chest, a brief flash of anguish in her eyes. Chloe wrapped her arms around her best friend, her savior, and silently vowed to never let her go, to never give up on her, just as Max had done for her._

Chloe looked down at their hands, comfortably locked together resting between them, and gave a slight squeeze.

"Pirates forever, Max..."

 **Off to a good start? I might continue pulling dialogue from the games, but probably not as generously as I did here. With the theme being New Beginnings and where I decided to place the scene, it only made sense to use the flashbacks. Reviews?**


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